


Twin Swords

by Swordaperson



Category: She-Ra - Fandom, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Adopted Children, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-07-06
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:35:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24478066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Swordaperson/pseuds/Swordaperson
Summary: Adora has lived her entire life in the Whispering Woods and while she loves her life dearly and wouldn't trade any part of it in for anything, she would be lying if she said she wasn't getting restless seeing the same woods, the same Thaymor, every day of her life. Adora longs to get out and see and study Etheria, even as she knows  that her mother would prefer if she just stayed in Thaymor for the rest of her life.But when a Horde soldier named Catra gets her hands on a strange sword, Adora may get her chance to see and experience parts of the world that will change her view on the universe forever...
Relationships: Adora & Bow (She-Ra), Adora & Mara (She-Ra), Adora & Razz (She-Ra), Mara & Razz
Comments: 13
Kudos: 37





	1. Quiet Life

“Ah! Mara Dearie! Come in, the stew is almost ready.”

Adora chuckled to herself as she pushed the curtain away and stepped into Madame Razz’s house. “Just Adora today, Razz,” she said.

Razz turned from her cauldron and squinted at the young woman before, letting out a _humph_ and continuing, “Don’t be ridiculous, Adora. You need to get Mara so she can have some stew too.”

Adora smiled warmly at a Razz, a mixture of familiar bemusement and deep fondness for the elderly hermit. “Maybe tomorrow, Razz. I’m just stopping by for our weekly check-in.” She scanned the hut, looking for anything amiss, before starting a more thorough look. “Anything interesting happened lately? Guests? Weird wildlife?” She noted Razz’s tea kettle was still on the fire and, apparently, had whistled so much that all the water had evaporated. Adora carefully took it off the fire and set it on the dirt ground to let it cool. “Unexplained fires?” she added.

Razz had resumed stirring the stew. “You’re always fussing over me like a preoccupied busybody, dearie,” Razz said, smiling softly as she spoke. “But don’t worry! Madame Razz has lived on her own _forever_. You don’t need to bother yourself with me.”

Adora crouched, putting a hand on Razz’s shoulder. “It’s not a bother, Razz. I’ve known you my whole life. One of my earliest memories is falling asleep next to your fire after you made this delicious dinner. So, really. It’s the least I can do to check in on you every now and then.” She glanced at the floor, doing her best to ignore the knot of worry that tightened in her chest. “Just want to make sure no one’s given you any… trouble or anything.”

Taking a sample of the soup, Razz turned to face Adora. She offered the young woman the spoonful of soup and said with a laugh, “You’re a sweetheart, Adora. You’ve paid this old woman more heed than anyone has is years!”

Adora took the spoon and sampled the soup, the rich taste of forest roots and herbs lighting up memories of being a little girl on rainy evenings as Razz told her stories about Etheria. She handed the spoon back to Razz and said, “Well that’s the rest of the world’s loss then.” Adora leaned over and wrapped her arms around Razz, pulling her into a snug hug.

“Ah, dearie,” Razz said softly, pressing a kiss against Adora’s jaw. “Now you just need to bring Mara around next time you visit. It’s been _ages_ since I saw her last.”

Adora chuckled as she stood back up. “Of course, Razz. She’ll come next time, even if I have to drag her kicking and screaming.”

Patting Adora’s hand, Razz turned back around to continue to tend to her soup. “You’re so much like her you know. A will that can level a mountain!”

“ _Heh_. Thanks, Razz.” Adora heard a snort and the shuffling of hooves outside the hut. “I need to get going. I think Snouts is getting restless.” She paused a moment before adding, “And you haven’t had any strange visitors or anything lately?”

“Nope. Not a soul. At least besides you, Broomie, and Loo-kee of course.”

Adora spared a look at the inanimate broom resting against the far wall, doing nothing except losing bristles. “Okay, then,” Adora said, before leaning over and kissing her on top of her head. “I’ll be back around next week, okay? With Mara. Promise.”

“Of course, dearie. Of course,” Razz responded, waving Adora off. “We’ll make a pie that day. The three of us just like when you were a sprout.” She grabbed a bowl off a nearby table and ladled some stew into before putting a lid on it and handing it to Adora. “Here you go dear. For later.”

Adora smiled and took the warm bowl. She gave a small wave as she backed out of the hut. “Thanks, Razz. Look forward to this and the pie,” she said before slipping past the curtain that covered the entrance to the hut.

As soon as she was out, a cool breeze blew across Adora’s face. It felt nice, considering it was almost always rather warm in Razz’s hut. A boon in the winter months, but it could get a bit stifling in the warmer part of the year.

Before she could even look, Adora felt a familiar nudge against her back. Chuckling, she turned and patted the giant boar along the side of his face. “Hey,” she said. “Sorry for the wait. You know how it is.”

Snouts snorted, indicating that he did, in fact, know how it is.

Scratching just above Snouts’ left-top eye, Adora made a cursory check of the saddlebags that were slung over the boar. The wood Adora had gathered was still there, as was the cowatch meat she had been paid for her work cleaning the meeting hall in Elberon.

Giving the harness for the bags a quick, tightening pull, Adora said, “So, boy. Before we head home, how do you feel about making one more stop?” She rubbed Snouts’ side, exactly where he liked. “Mom could probably use some stew, huh? Doubt she’s remembered to eat today…”

Snouts huffed and let out a content snort, pushing himself into Adora’s petting.

“Alright,” Adora said, securing the stew in a pouch on Snouts’ saddle and lead the giant hog beside her. “And hey, this time you won’t have to wait outside.” As the pair began to walk along the trodden ground of the forest, Snouts let out a small squeal of relief and Adora laughed, glad to have such a good traveling companion.

* * *

It wasn’t a long walk to get to where they were going. The clearing in the woods was located north of Thaymor, just a ways from Razz’s hut. It was a detour but not a big one. And luckily, it was quickly apparent that the clearing wasn’t empty. Even before it came into view, Adora could hear the tell-tale _thwak_ of wood hitting against wood.

And once she stepped out of the trees and into the clearing proper she saw the source of the noise, dressed as she often was during her practice: a chest wrap revealing her toned muscles, pants that were tied off at the ankles to prevent them from flapping with her footwork, and bare feet caked in mud and dirt indicating that she had been here when the dew was still fresh on the ground.

With a final, single slash of her wooden staff through the air, Adora’s mother took a towel that was laying in the grass next to her and wiped her face down before turning to Adora and saying, “I thought you were heading back to Thaymor after you were done in Elberon.”

Adora walked over to her mother, noting that the container of water she had brought with her was empty and so reached into one of the bags on Snouts pulling out her own canteen that was still half full. “I stopped by Razz’s. To check in,” she said, handing the canteen to Mom.

Mom nodded her thanks and took the canteen, emptying it in a single, long drink before passing it back. “And? How is she?” she asked, the unspoken part of her question still registering to Adora.

She stored the canteen back in the pack. “Same as she ever is. She says there hasn’t been anyone in her part of the woods. Besides Broom and Loo-Kee, of course.”

That managed to bring a smile out of Mom’s otherwise serious expression. “Of course,” she repeated back. A silent moment passed and she added, “And no news of the Horde in Elberon?”

Adora shook her head. “Not that heard. And there weren’t any Brightmoon soldiers or princesses around. So it seems like Elberon is remaining unnoticed for now.”

Mom nodded silently, her gaze seeming to trail off behind Adora and into the woods behind her. Adora pressed her lips together before grabbing Mom’s arm, bringing her back to the present. “Why don’t we head back home, Mom? Razz gave me some stew and we can fry up some of the cowatch beef I got for an early dinner.”

“I haven’t finished my routine yet, Adora,” she answered. “Keeping myself fit at my age is important.”

On one hand, Adora often felt like her mother’s almost, at times, compulsive need to ‘keep fit’ was overblown, if for no other reason than her figure, toned and muscled as it was, spoke for itself. Even now Mom could often lift Adora off her feet with relative ease.

But on the other hand, Adora had begun to notice Mom’s face was more lined than it perhaps was a few years ago; that some grey had begun to show in her otherwise tied and braided brown-blonde hair.

No doubt Mom had begun to notice these changes too.

She started, “Knowing how to defend yourself-”

“-is one of the cornerstones of a well lived life,” Adora finished. “Yes, I know. But you also have a tendency of overdoing it and overexerting or even hurting yourself.”

“Name one time-” Mom began to argue.

“At the beginning of the year, you overdid it so badly you were bedridden for two _days_.”

Color splashed across Mom’s face, not from the exertion of her training but from knowing that what Adora said was true. “I… can get a little carried away sometimes, true,” she conceded. “But knowing how to, and being able to, protect yourself is important. Especially these days.”

“I know, but… I-” Adora gulped and without even really thinking about, she wrapped her arms around Mom tightly. She was still sweaty from her day-long training but in that moment Adora didn’t care, pressing the side of her face against her chest as the worries that had been building finally came gushing out.

“The Horde hasn’t come to the Whispering Woods yet,” Adora said, struggling a little to keep her voice even, “but that doesn’t mean they _won’t_! And what happens if they do and you’re laid up in bed ‘cause you pulled a muscle in your back and you can’t stand up??”

Adora blinked back her tears as she felt Mom let go of a breath and deflate a little in her arms. Mom put a gentle hand on Adora’s back, saying, “Little Star. You don’t have to worry. Nothing is going to happen to me anytime soon.”

“Razz says the same thing. But we still go and check on her.”

Mom moved her hand to Adora’s cheek and rubbed soothing circles with her thumb. She sighed softly and said, “Hm. I suppose… It’s easy for me to forget that you’re not that girl I used to chase through the woods, her knees dirty and missing her first tooth, looking for whatever adventure she could find.” A silent pause before, “You’re a grown woman now, Little Star. Mature, responsible, and looking out for those you care about.”

Adora pulled away, but still kept her arms loosely around Mom. She smiled and looked at her, her mother’s own eyes also glistening tears. “All because of how you raised me.” She laughed. “Could you imagine if anyone else had? I’d be _no fun_ then.”

The pair shared a laugh before Mom nodded to something behind Adora. She turned and saw that Snouts was rubbing his tusk against the trunk of a tree. “Looks like he’s getting restless.”

“He tends to,” Adora agreed.

“Well,” Mom said, “Why don’t we get him home. And then we’ll start a fire and see if we can cook this cowatch meat and not burn it this time.”

Adora smiled and nodded. “And maybe this evening we can go by the village square and you can tell some of your stories. You know the children love them.”

“ _Heh_. They do. Even if they’ve heard them a dozen times before.”

“Just because you’re such a good storyteller,” Adora said.

“Hm, well,” Mom replied, “I got most of those stories from Razz. So I’d say she’s a good storyteller, I’m just a good listener.”

“That’s how stories spread,” Adora said with a smirk. She’d read all about it in _‘A History of Etherian Folktales_ ’ last time she’d borrowed it from the Library. “Besides,” she shrugged. “The kids don’t care. You’ve seen how their eyes light up when ‘Miss Mara’ comes bearing stories.”

Mom chuckled. “Fair enough. Now come on. Let’s grab Snouts and head back to the village. And while we’re cooking, you can give me story suggestions for tonight.”

“Okay,” Adora said as she jogged ahead of Mom to grab Snouts and bring him over to the trail home. Once his harness was in hand, and as the trio began the trek home, Adora felt the knot of tension in her chest loosen. She was still worried about the state of the world, but as her mind began to fill more with pleasant memories of simmering meat and of Mom and Razz’s stories, Adora felt like she could, for an evening at least, put aside her worries and enjoy a relaxing evening with her family.


	2. Fossil in a Library

The morning was rather nice and cool, so Adora opted to do her sewing out of the house on the stool next to the door, rather than at the dining table. The sewing wasn’t much- patching a hole in one of Mom’s shirts and sewing up some fraying edges on one of Adora’s pairs of pants. In theory it shouldn’t take that long to do. However, Adora, as was her habit, balanced an open book in her lap as she sewed, _Mythological Origins of Salineas_. Her sewing would often come to a stop for several seconds as she indulged in the next several lines of her book. She was deep into a passage describing early Salineas governments, when she heard a voice from behind her.

"Good book?"

Adora jumped, not losing her stitch luckily, but her book fell from her lap and landed with a dull 'thud' on the ground.

"Bow!"

"Sorry, sorry!" Bow said, quickly grabbing the dropped book and brushing any stray dirt off of it. "I wasn't trying to be quiet, so I thought you'd hear me coming."

He handed the book back. "It's alright, Bow," Adora sighed before giving a lopsided grin. "The book's _really_ good."

Bow chuckled. "Glad you're enjoying it. George was afraid it'd be a little bit much for you."

"No, no. Not at all." Adora said. "I mean, I had to cross-reference some names and historical figures I didn't recognize, but that's no hassle."

" _Heh_. You _do_ have a scholar's temperament." He sat down on the grass beside Adora. "I know my dads have told you this before but, you really _should_ consider studying at the University."

Adora sighed and pursed her lips at the ground. "Yeah, they’ve said. And believe me, I _want_ to, but…"

"Mara won't let you?"

"She hasn't… said as much," Adora replied. "But it's obvious she doesn't want me straying too far from Thaymor."

Bow adjusted his glasses. A beat of silence passed and he smirked. "If you want, we could trade. You could go live at the Library with George and Lance and I'll stay with Mara and learn cool sword stuff from her."

Adora chuckled and lightly pushed Bow's shoulder. "Right. But don't forget you also have to survive my mom's cooking."

"And you have to survive my dad's."

The pair laughed together, before being interrupted by Mom coming around from behind the house.

"Well, glad to see you two having fun," she said. “Between you and her book, Bow, she'll never get her sewing done." She offered the pair a jovial wink, before taking a towel off her shoulder and wiping her face. "Excuse me, Bow," she said, her voice muffled by the towel. "I was out back chopping firewood."

"Oh, it's no problem, Miss Mara," Bow said. "I'm a little early, but well, my dads are getting a little antsy."

Mom looked over the towel, a little confused at what Bow meant, before letting out a soft groan that Adora was sure only she had registered. "Right, right. They want to show off their new bits from their latest expedition."

"And get your insight on them," Bow added.

“Right, okay,” Mom threw the towel back over her shoulder. “Let me just clean up a little and I’ll be ready to go.” She walked past Adora and Bow and went into the house, though thanks to an open window, continued, “So, Bow. How are you doing today? George and Lance didn’t make you come too far out of your way, I hope.”

“No, not at all,” Bow answered. “I _was_ thinking of coming to visit anyway. And… maybe seeing if we could resume our lessons? But then Lance reminded me that they wanted to show you their new pieces, so…”

Adora snickered behind her hand and playfully pushed Bow’s shoulder, who only sheepishly smiled in return.

“Your enthusiasm to learn serves you well, Bow,” Mom said. “We’ll continue your lessons after the harvest comes in later this month. And _you_ can show _me_ more of those tricks with your bow and arrow,” she added.

“Yeah, you’re really handy with your trick arrows,” Adora said. “And you make them yourself. That’s really impressive. And cool!”

Color crept into Bow’s face and he adjusted his glasses again. “It’s nothing really. Just picking up a few things here and there and from the Library.”

The door to the house opened and Mom stepped out, dressed in a new, clean set of clothes and her forest hiking boots. She joined Adora and Bow, saying, “No modesty allowed here. The way you’re able to handle, figure out, and replicate that manner of tech is impressive. And rare, outside of Dryl.”

Bow didn’t say anything directly in response, only looking embarrassed at the ground as he rose to his feet.

Mom looked over at Adora. “Coming, Adora?”

“Oh, well. I've still got sewing to finish."

"Hm. I seem to remember a certain someone who told me that taking time off for leisure is important," she smirked. Mom gestured for Adora to follow. "Come on, Little Star. I know you want to see the Library's newest features too."

" _Mooooom_ ," Adora groaned, her face redning. "No 'Little Star' in front of others, remember?"

Mom laughed lightly and Bow gave Adora a knowing smile in their shared embarrassment.

Grimacing, Adora rose to her feet and leaned into the house's open window, placing her sewing work on the table inside.

Taking a moment to straighten her tunic, Adora turned towards Bow and Mom and nodded. "Okay. Ready."

Mom nodded and started down the road, Bow and Adora following as the three started on the short hike to the Library.

* * *

George and Lance must have been _really_ eager for Mara's arrival. The Library was barely in sight before Lance was poking his head out the front door, his face lighting up as soon as he saw them. He waved as they approached and Mara couldn't help but grin at the enthusiasm.

"Mara, Mara!" Lance greeted, pulling her into a welcoming embrace. "And Adora too!" He pulled her into the hug as well.

"Hello- Lance," Mara sputtered out, as her mouth was pressed against Lance's shoulder.

"Uh, dad? I think you're crushing them," Bow intervened.

"Oh! Right! Thank you, Bow," He let go of the pair. "I'm sorry, George and I are just really excited," he laughed.

"So no changes from the usual then," Mara replied with a grin.

"Ah, nope. None at all," Lance laughed again as he put a hand on Mara's shoulder. "See, this is why I like you, Mara. You understand me."

Mara felt a twinge in her gut. "And my instincts on First One artifacts."

Lance waved that thought away. "Your 'instincts' wasn't what gave us that _delightful_ parent's evening the night Bow and Adora had their first sleepover." He looked over at Adora. “You remember that, don’t you Adora? You were rather young then, but we made a whole night of it; even brought out our family photo album.”

“You didn’t _have_ to show off the photo album,” Bow muttered, as Adora laughed quietly next to him.

Mara felt temporary unease already quickly fading as she offered a sympathetic look towards Bow.. "To be fair,” she said to Lance, “the Snows whiskey George rolled out of your cellar helped the grownups that evening."

She heard her own voice in her ear, talking to a much younger Adora, ' _He's your friend. He likes you for you, not for what you can do_ '.

Mara sighed internally. Best to take her own advice.

Lance chuckled as he opened the Library's door. "It did, and George learned you can put 'em away just like his old soldier buddies." He held the door open and the three of them stepped inside. Lance came up behind them and called, “Dear! Mara and Adora are here!”

Just stepping into the Library was enough to immerse one into its atmosphere. Not just because of the shelf upon shelf of heavy books and tomes, or the display cases showing off ancient art from a bygone age, but the _smell_. A mix of yellowed pages, copious amounts of ink, and just a hint of dust.

It made Mara think of the first time she entered R&D at Central Command; a fresh face recruit from the academy and only brought in to the Science Corp, but still eager to take the fight to Prime-

Mara cut that thought off quickly.

No point in dwelling on the memories of an earlier life.

Adora had already broken away from them as she started up one of the shelves, fingering book spines as her eyes lit up with anticipation. She called Bow over and Mara noted, with some amusement, that Adora was twirling her hair with her finger, an easy tell that she was excited.

George came from the kitchen, a tray with tea and cookies in his hands. "Mara, Adora. It's wonderful to see you both again."

Lance moved some books on a nearby table to make some room and George set the tray down, before extending a hand to Mara. She took his into her own, giving a firm handshake.

"It's good to see you, George; Lance," she nodded before adding with a smirk towards Lance, "Death by bear hug notwithstanding."

George laughed lightly. "As he's prone to do."

" _Hah_ , well I'll stop doing it when you stop squeezing back." Lance leaned over and pecked George's cheek before walking past them. "I'll get the pieces we wanted to show Mara."

George picked up one of the teacups and said over his shoulder, "If you need any help dear, just yell." He sipped his tea before looking over towards Adora. "And how are you doing, Adora?"

Adora jumped in surprise, clearly having forgotten there was anyone there, besides her, Bow, and the number of books he was carrying for her. "Oh! George! Yeah, no I'm good. Sorry, I just found this one book hypothesizing about the ecological damage that might have made the Crimson Wastes and-"

"Of course, Adora. Of course," George said. "If you see anything that catches your interest, just let Lance or I know before you take it, as usual."

"Okay! Of course!" She said before handing another book to Bow and going back to perusing the shelf.

George chuckled and smiled at Mara. "Insatiable appetite for learning, that one."

Mara heaved a loving sigh. "For all her life, it feels like. She wants to know everything about Etheria."

“ _Hm_. That desire-- to learn purely for its own sake-- is a rarer thing then it probably should be,” George said, before giving Mara a sidelong look.

Mara knew what that look meant. ‘You should allow Adora to go to the University’ and all the usual points that came with it; Bow’s already going, her mind would be a terrible thing to let pitter away, Etheria needs more people who are trying to preserve its history.

All points that Mara couldn’t really argue with. Etheria (and the galaxy as a whole) did need more people concerned with their history; Bow did already go to the University and that would make it even easier for Adora to adjust; and.... Adora did have a mind that craved something that just couldn’t be fulfilled by tending crops and doing chores around a small village.

“I know you must have your reasons,” Geroge continued, “And it’s none of my business how you raise your daughter, but Adora would _flourish_ at the University. As would you,” he added. “I attended classes after I left the rebellion and it’s where I met Lance and-” he cut himself off, shaking his head. “Mm. Apologies, Mara. I don’t want you to think I’m trying to tell you how to be a mother.”

“No, no. It’s okay, George,” Mara said, offering him a small, sincere smile. “Compared to you and Lance, I… tend to feel out of my depth when it comes to raising Adora. After all, I’ve… only got her, whereas you and Lance have had twelve experiences besides Bow.”

George put a gentle hand on her shoulder. “For what it’s worth, Adora is a smart, clever, and good-hearted person. For however ‘out of depth’ you feel, you’ve done a fine job raising her.”

Mara felt a comforting warmth spread throughout her chest at George’s gentle encouragement. “Thanks, George. That means a lot.”

He gave her shoulder a firm squeeze, just as Lance came back, his arms loaded with several 'safe transfer and storage boxes'. Mara and George quickly went over and took several of the boxes from him, setting them on the table next to the tea and cookies.

"So, Mara," Lance said, already opening one of the boxes. "I don't know if George has told you about any of our new finds, but I'd like to get your opinion on this first."

"Ah, starting with that," George said with the barest hint of a sigh.

"Mara's going to agree with me, hun. Just you wait," Lance said with a smile and a wink to Mara. He removed from the box a simple, four pronged utensil.

Lance held it out and Mara gingerly took the utensil and examined it carefully. It was old, obviously, but well made, most likely made for an older family. She turned it over between her fingers and idly wondered how many undercooked steaks it had tasted in its lifetime.

"Notice the four prongs on the end," Lance said, pointing at the utensil. "See how they're so evenly spaced from each other? My theory is that it must have been used for very specific ritualistic purposes."

"...Right," Mara said, wondering to herself why George and Lance always felt the need to ascribe some kind of mystical importance to seemingly just about everything they found.

George nodded thoughtfully. "Any thoughts to add?" he asked.

Mara kept looking at the utensil, turning it slowly between her fingers.

_Stars, how do I want to handle this…_

"Um, well. I think that's as good a theory as any," Mara said, handing the utensil back to George. "Although, I'd probably say purpose had to do with eating."

"Oh?" George asked, leaning in to get a better look at the utensil.

"Look at the prongs. It looks somewhat like a fork."

"Ahh, yes yes. It's got two extra prongs from a normal fork, but you're right," Lance said, rubbing his chin. "Perhaps for some kind of religious meal or ceremony?"

“That makes sense,” George agreed. “Although we can’t know for sure until we find some evidence corroborating it.”

“Mmm, indeed,” Mara said noncommittally.

“Okay, there is one more thing we’d really like to get your opinion on, Mara,” Geroge said, reaching into another box. He slowly withdrew what looked like a broken piece of pottery, it’s inlaid golden design catching the light in a way that almost made it look like it wasn't hundreds of years old.

He handed it to Mara to inspect and Lance spoke, “We found this in what we believe might have been a craftperson’s workshop or house. It’s remarkably well preserved, as you can see, so whoever made it was most likely very skilled.”

Mara couldn’t really argue with that, even though she was far from an expert. Still, it looked nice, at least from the piece she had right now. Its design was certainly very Eternian, clean, precise, and straight to the point, the point being pretty easy to discern from this piece. A single, perfectly made circle with Eternian script coming off of it two other circles orbiting around it. The symbology was easy to grasp, if you spoke the language.

‘ _Heart of the Universe; Eternia_ ’

Mara let a small sigh escape her before looking up and seeing George and Lance were waiting eagerly for her translation. “Sorry, sorry,” Mara said.

“That’s quite okay, Mara,” George reassured.

“Yes, of course,” Lance added. “It’s just… your grasp of the First One’s language is so incredible. The most George and I have gotten from it is ‘center of the universe’.”

Mara smiled at the pair. “You both give yourselves too little credit. You’re close. This part here?” She pointed at one of the stems of writing coming off the center planet. “This doesn’t say ‘center’, although I can see how you could mistake it for that. No, it says ‘heart’.”

The two gasped in unison and Lance said, “Heart of the Universe. That’s incredible! Mara, you genius! You _need_ to get to the University. I know of several professors who’d want to have a long chat with you.”

Mara gave a reserved head tilt and George spoke, “So, based on how the script is coming off this center object, it is most likely the ‘heart of the universe’. But what _is it_ exactly?”

Mara handed the piece back to George. “It’s their homeworld, of course.”

She hadn’t realized what she’d said until just before the final word left her mouth. Heart pounding, she looked at George and Lance, who looked back in what can only be described as starry eyed.

“The First One’s _homeworld_?” George said, examining the piece of pottery. “What makes you say that?”

“Oh, uh, well- It only makes sense, right? I mean, it’s circular, like a planet. And look at the two smaller circles next to it.” She pointed to them on the piece. “They look like moons, don’t they?”

Lance slowly shook his head and started laughing. “Oh Mara, Mara, Mara. You and that incredible mind of yours! How do you manage to pick up on all these things?”

Mara shrugged. “Just lucky, I guess.”

“Nonsense,” George said, placing the pottery piece back in its box. “I daresay luck can make up for a lot in life, but not the knowledge and cleverness you show, Mara. You’re a natural archaeologist.”

Mara did her best to force a normal looking smile.

_A lot easier when you were actually there._

“Okay, Mara,” Lance said. “With just these two pieces you’ve given us a lot to consider when we go back to our dig site. So.” He adjusted his glasses and gave a huge grin. “I _insist_ that you and Adora stay for lunch.”

“Oh, well. I wouldn’t want to impose-”

“Nonsense! Sandwiches are already done-- I made enough for you and Adora, of course-- and all I need to do is toss a nice caesaris salad to go with them and then we can eat.”

“Mm. Well.” She gave a lopsided smirk. “I guess if you’re not giving us any choice in the matter, Lance.”

Lance laughed in victory. “Perfect! Just give me a few to make the salad.” He spun on his heel and made for the kitchen.

George laughed after his husband, following behind him. “I better grab the sandwiches before he gets into one of his whirlwinds. You better tell Adora lunch will be ready soon. I doubt she’s aware any time has passed at all.”

“Yeah, mostly likely not,” Mara agreed. “I’ll get her.”

It didn’t take long to find her, however. Second floor, a pile of books taken off the shelves and Adora’s excited tone as she explained to Bow what new idea or concept she had discovered. Mara couldn’t help but chuckle under her breath.

George _was_ right. Adora’s thirst for learning was seemingly unquenchable. Not that Mara could really blame her, Etheria was _wonderful_. Mara remembered the feeling of wanting to know as much as she possibly could about it. It was a feeling that… was hard to contain. And one that felt worse when it was _forced_ to be contained.

Mara stopped in her tracks, audibly sighing to herself.

Perhaps… it was finally time to let Adora fly on her own, off into the world to make her way in life. Mara had done her best to teach her, both about life and Etheria. And too stay away from anything magic related, a tough lesson for Adora to accept, just as it was for Mara to teach it. But Adora didn’t really seem to have much desire to run off to Mystacor and become a sorceress, so the lesson must have taken in some sense, hopefully.

Mara glanced at the slab of art that was displayed in a case next to her. She knew what it was, as every time she was at the Library it always managed to catch her eye. It was strikingly, _painfully_ , familiar despite the abstract nature of the art itself. A figure, glowing gold and her hair catching in presumed wind, holding a brilliant looking sword aloft as she rode upon a dragon.

_She-Ra_

Mara turned away, her breath catching in her throat as she wiped eyes dry.

_Okay. No more excuses. It’s time to move the Sword. And to let Adora out of the nest._

Forcing her gazes straight ahead, she walked towards the stairs leading to the second floor where Adora was still amidst her pile of books. Lunch would be ready soon and hopefully Adora, Bow, and George and Lance would fill in enough conversation to allow Mara the time needed to think about how she was going to; finally, move the Sword somewhere safer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies about the delay. I probably would have managed to get this out sooner, but there was a oneshot I had to get out of my system first xD


	3. Force Captains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I tried to make it as clear as possible in the actual text, but Octavia here is younger than she is in canon. In canon she seems to be several years older than Catra and Adora, here she’s around about the same age.

While she wasn’t sure what victory tasted like, Catra did know what it _smelled_ like. A burst of burning oil that always clung to any powered door in the Fright Zone, mixed with the smell of sweat from her soldiers after a long mission. It wasn't a _pleasant_ smell, granted. But it was still one Catra took an odd moment of pleasure in, even if the mission she was coming back from wasn’t strictly successful..

As soon as Catra and her soldiers crossed the threshold into the Horde’s stronghold, she heard the _click!_ of a helmet being undone followed by Lonnie saying, “ _Whew_! Man, first thing I’m doing after that mission is heading to the mess hall and getting some grub.”

More clicks of helmets being taken off and Rogelio grunted his agreement and Kyle said, “Oh! Yeah, that would be great! I could go for a ration bar.”

“Forget the ration bars,” Octavia said, taking a long stride to catch up with her trio of comrades. “Let’s hit the mess hall and get some _real_ food. Some of the _premium_ ration bars.”

Catra turned on her heel and began walking backwards, all while not breaking her stride. “Hey,” she said with her usual sharpness when addressing her soldiers, “Those stores of food are for Force Captains-”

“-and teams returning from successful missions,” Octavia said, flashing a smile that showed off sharp, pointy teeth. “I’d say our mission was pretty successful, right?”

"We didn't hold the valley," Catra responded flatly.

"Yeah, but we didn't die and so we live to fight another day." Octavia gave a short, sardonic shrug. "And isn't that the _real_ victory?"

Catra arched an eyebrow. "The ‘real’ victory is that you four have new goals in training to go after. But that doesn’t get you far with the food provisioners."

Octavia leaned in and grinned sharply. "It'll be no problem if our Force Captain signs off on it."

Catra scoffed. "Use my _authority_ to reward you when you haven't earned it? Right, they _definitely_ taught that during orientation."

"As if you went to Force Captain orientation…" Lonnie half-whispered under her breath.

"Keep it up, Lonnie," Catra glared, "and you might just find yourself on cleaning duty for the next month."

Silence settled over them, save for the sound of their footsteps on the metal floor, and Catra gave a satisfied smile before gracefully turning back around, still not missing a step as she did. A moment passed and Lonnie mumbled, just loud enough to be heard, “Geez, she gets promoted to Force Captain and suddenly she’s Ms. Kitty-Big Pants.”

There was a chorus of tittering laughter as Catra whipped back around, her tail flailing in frustration. "Barracks cleaning! The rest of the month!" Catra declared. "And tomorrow is pressing day for turning the protein paste into rations bars. So you can help with that after training."

Lonnie shrugged and smirked, clearly satisfied with herself. "Worth it."

Catra glared death at the soldier, her ears folded back to match her expression. Catra barred her fangs, intending to say more, but she was cut off by a claw on her shoulder.

"Oh! Catra!" Scorpia said in her usual overly excited tone. "I was _just_ looking for you, you know."

Throwing one last dagger with her gaze at Lonnie, Catra turned towards her fellow Force Captain. "I was on a mission. We were trying to take the valley pass to Plumeria."

"Which we _didn't_ take," Octavia added from behind. Catra growled and gritted her teeth, but said nothing in response to her squad's amused-at-themselves laughter.

" _Ohh_ Right. I remember you mentioning that," Scorpia said, though Catra had her doubts. "But I was just waiting for you, since there's a Force Captain meeting today, and I thought we could go together so you're not the only one who's late."

Catra considered for a moment if it was worth pointing out the stupidness of Scorpia making yourself late solely so someone else isn’t the only one late… but she decided to stow it. She was already going to get it from Grizzlor for being late to the Force Captain meeting, she didn’t need to make herself later by getting into a one-sided argument with Scorpia.

Letting out a soft sigh, Catra nodded to Scorpia and turned towards her soldiers. “Get some rounds in at the arena, _then_ you can hit the barracks.”

There was a unified sigh from the four of them. “ _Catra_ , come on now,” Lonnie groaned.

“We just got back from a mission!” Kyle cried, Rogelio grunting in agreement.

“You can’t expect us to hit the grid when we haven’t even had an evening of R&R,” Octavia said, folding her arms over her chest.

“I can and I am,” Catra shot back. “If you four have the energy to snark, then you have the energy for some training. With _full_ recorded results,” she added.

More groans, but these were mingled with begrudged acceptance and annoyance at Catra’s reprimanding, both of which Catra could deal with. She turned back around and started down the hall, Scorpia following behind her, as she called over her shoulder, “I want those training results in my quarters.” She didn’t hear any direct response but that was fine as long as they did it.

Catra was in charge and as long as they remembered that, there would be no problem.

The walk to the meeting hall wasn’t long, nor was it quiet. Scorpia, as she was wont to do, kept up a continuous stream of chatter about… everything, basically. She talked about her day, her own duties, the recent goings on in the Fright Zone, the particular color of the sky. It could get a little aggravating, if Catra was honest, especially if she was trying to think. But… at the same time, she had to at least credit Scorpia for enthusiasm, something she wished Lonnie and the others had more of.

Scorpia was now talking about how she’d dropped the platter of protein paste the food provisioner on duty (probably Modulok after misplacing his arms again, if they were asking _Scorpia_ for help) had asked her to carry to the mess hall for pressing. Catra nodded along to Scorpia’s telling but in truth she was only half listening, instead doing her best to try and plan out a schedule for next week while also carving out some time for another attempt at that valley to Plumeria.

“...and well, let’s just say that I spent most of the day cleaning paste off of my exoskeleton."

"Mhm," Catra nodded as she pressed her palm on the entry pad, its door sliding open to reveal the other Force Captains waiting for them. They all turned to look at her, and Catra did her best to try and maintain eye contact with all of them.

"Well. Nice of you to finally grace us with your presence, Force Captain," Grizzlor said from his spot in front of the other. He didn't even try to hide the disdain in his voice, though that was hardly unusual.

Catra forced her expression to stay neutral. "Sorry. Sir," Catra added. "I took my team on a mission to try and-"

"But you failed," Callix interrupted from his seat amongst the other captains. "Because you went on ahead by yourself without proper support."

Catra shot the lithoid a cold look, but didn't deny it, instead saying, "We learned valuable intel, so when we go back-"

"No, you’re not," Grizzlor bluntly said. “You have new orders.”

Catra spun back around towards Grizzlor. " _What_?" she asked sharply, her ears folding back. "You don't get to order me around anymore. I'm a Force Captain now too."

Grizzlor stepped towards Catra, but even though he dwarfed her, in both height and width, Catra didn't back down, instead maintaining her eyelock with him.

"These orders come directly from Lord Hordak," he said. "There's been a series of strange anomalies that our sensors have been unable to decipher. However Lord Hordak believes they are important, so Force Captains are being reassigned to investigate them."

"So? Why do I-"

Grizzlor got so close to Catra that he was towering over her, forcing her to crane her neck in order to maintain eye contact. "Are you questioning Lord Hordak's orders, _Force Captain_?" Grizzlor said in a low, threatening growl.

Catra bared her fangs, before reluctantly backing down. "Of course not. I carry out Lord Hordak's will."

"As we all do," Grizzlor said, also backing away, though not taking his yellow eyes off of Catra. "Your new assignment, Force Captain Catra, is to take your squad into the Whispering Woods. Once there you're to investigate the anomaly; coordinates will be given to you before you deploy."

"No _support_?" Catra asked with an acidic edge. “We’re going into the middle of Alliance territory. And the woods are supposed to be impenetrable.”

_Supposedly. Not that I believe it._

"You're traveling light, to avoid direct conflict with the Alliance." Grizzlor cruel smirk. "So no, no support. Just as you like it, Catra."

Mantenna loudly cackled from the back of the room at Grizzlor's jab. Catra made a mental note to grab his eye stalks that next time the Force Captains sparred together.

"Oh! Well I could go with Catra," Scorpia said. Catra realized that Scorpia hadn't left her side this entire time.

"You have your own duties, Scorpia," Grizzlor said.

"Well I didn't get reassigned," she said. "So I'll just be doing what, uh I normally do. Patrol, filling out reports, help anyone that needs a hand- or you know, a claw, since I've got the claws." She snipped her claws, as if anyone could miss them.

Grizzlor glanced at Catra. She pursed her lips, but nodded. "Yeah. I could use Scorpia's help."

"Okay! I won't let you down, Catra. Well, unlike last time. Promise!"

Catra gave her a sidelong glance as Grizzlor scoffed at the two of them. He said, “Fine. Catra can be responsible for Scorpia.” He turned and began addressing everyone that was gathered. “Now that you _all_ finally have your orders, you’re dismissed. Make whatever preparations you need to with your squads and be prepared to head out first thing tomorrow.”

Grizzlor gave a nod confirming he was finished and before anyone had even gotten out of their seats, Catra was out the door, fuming and doing all she could to not scream as loudly as she could.

She hated every Force Captain gathering, as it seemed like no matter the topic, she was always the butt of the joke, even though she was just as highly ranked as any of them were. She’d passed all the tests they had and was at least twice as competent as they were. _She_ should be the one leading the gatherings, not Grizzlor.

And yet part of her chided that this was hardly a surprise. She was the newcomer and they were underestimating her. But they’d know soon what she was really capable of…

She heard Scorpia’s loud footsteps, shaking her out of her own head.

“Catra! Hey, wait up!”

Catra grimaced and was tempted to speed up, but she knew if she did, Scorpia would just follow her all the way to the barracks. So she stopped and waited for Scorpia to catch up. “What is it, Scorpia?”

“Well, I was just thinking to myself after the meeting, ‘you know, since you and Catra are going to be on another mission together, maybe we could get together and strategize some, see what kind of great plans we can come up with!” She was silent for a moment before adding, a bit more hesitant, “And, I mean, it’s getting late. So we could maybe… do it over some bunkbrews? Freshly made, of course. With fresh ingredients.”

Catra scratched her forehead. Once again, Scorpia enthusiasm could be annoying, but it _was_ still something Catra could admire in her. Especially after being reminded that, in her opinion, all the other Force Captains were far too complacent in their roles.

Still, Catra’s frustration at the failed mission, her insubordinate troops, and the mocking of the other captains had left her largely just wanting to be left alone until the morning.

"Eh, I need to review some reports," Catra said. Not a total lie, even if the reports from her squad's training wouldn't be ready yet. She went on, "But tomorrow before we head out, I'll come by your quarters and we'll see if we can come up with anything."

That seemed to please Scorpia. "Okay! Then I'll get up extra, _extra_ early and make those bunkbrews."

Catra opened her mouth to say that wouldn't be necessary, (drinking on the night before a mission was hardly a great idea) but she knew Scorpia was going to do it regardless, so instead she just said "Just make them extra light" and continued on her way back to get quarters.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Catra!" Scorpia called after her. "Have a good evening!"

Catra didn't respond, instead just raising a hand to show she heard as she continued down the hall.

* * *

It was late, Catra knew that. Exact time was hard to pinpoint in the Fright Zone, but she was starting to feel fatigue settling on top of her like a thick fog.

She yawned and set the reports that Lonnie had delivered herself, sour look and all, aside. Catra hadn't gotten through all of them, but she was convinced that they’d done the training she'd ordered, and that they were showing marked improvements (even if Kyle was still lagging behind).

She stood up from her desk and stretched, taking a few leisurely laps around her sparsely decorated room, as she tended to before going to sleep, when she heard a click and her door open.

She spun around, claws up, before putting them back down as she saw who it was. "Shadow Weaver," she said.

"Catra," the sorceress said, her voice like smoke snaking around Catra. "I knew you were still up."

Catra huffed. "I thought I said don't use your magic to spy on me."

“I didn’t need to use my magic,” Shadow Weaver answered. “I knew you would be up and agitated.”

“ _Hmph_. Guess that means you heard about my reassignment,” Catra said. “Waste of my time…”

“It’s isn’t,” Shadow Weaver corrected. “It will be very important to your development.” She drifted close to Catra and put a cool hand on her cheek, before scratching behind her ear, something Catra didn’t want to admit felt good. “I made sure that Lord Hordak sent you to the Whispering Woods.”

Catra pulled away from Shadow Weaver’s touch. “What? Why?! I’m just starting raids on Plumeria! You know, actually trying to _win_ this war.”

“Because, Catra. The anomaly in the Whispering Woods is _magical_ , and more than that, it’s powerful. Perhaps even on the level of a runestone.”

“‘Perhaps’? You mean you don’t know for sure?” Catra scoffed. “Some master sorceress.”

“You may complain now, child. But when you find the magical anomaly, you’ll know that I’m right.” She held out a hand and instinctively, without even thinking, Catra stepped close and Shower Weaver wrapped her fingers around Catra’s wrist. “You are destined for greatness. You know this, in your heart of hearts.”

“Of _course_ I am,” Catra said. “And eventually I’ll be in charge around here…”

“Exactly. You would be a fool to aim for anything lower. And unlike the rest of the masses in the Fright Zone, you’ve the ability to achieve that. As long as you don’t _squander_ it.” She squeezed Catra’s wrist uncomfortably tightly. “Do you understand, child?”

“...Yes. Of course, Shadow Weaver.”

“Good.” She let go of Catra’s wrist and started out of the room, but not before giving one last order, “Get some sleep. Tomorrow will be the first step towards your destiny.” She left the quarters, the door sliding shut behind her.

Catra glared at the door for several seconds before she turned towards her bed, muttering under breath, “Yeah. Whatever you say…

“...Mother.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, turns out writing Catra is hard ^.^;


End file.
